Fangwa
Welcome to the page on the Fangwa Language. (OchiFangwa) OchiFangwa is an a posteriori constructed Bantu Language based on a large number of these languages. The main sources are Swahili, Afrihili, Shona, Chichewa, Lingala, Tswana, Luganda, Xhosa and Zulu. This language draws a lot of its vocabulary from these sources, and the grammmar also has a strong Bantu influence. The basic order in a sentence is SVO and head initial. The stress is usually on the penultimate syllable. Fangwa is part of a larger constructed Bantu-languages family: The other members are: Entesi, Oseroa, Qolape, Fangwezi, Nashari and Zande. There is also an unrelated language Anara that has a lot of influence from Fangwa. Vocabulary: Vocabulary ukogenda = to go; ukobona = to see; egimkono= the arm; egimpuno= the nose; ukorusha = to work egimtemo = the law; omamto = the river; omabahori = the sea ukopá = to give; -kulu = big/ great; egidziko = the kitchen; egijika = the spoon ukocheka = to laugh; egiwavu = the net; egibarafo = the ice; ukosikia = to hear umodzukala = grandchild; esiusagi = the hare; uko-imba= to sing; egisikio= ear esinyondzi = bird; -naiba= beautiful; esikitsune = the fox; ukodota= to dream omandzi = the water; ubonto = humanity; esingeke = tilapia (a type of fish) ukopeka = to cook; ukopenya = to love; ukosopa = to like; egiatu = the shoe; ukotunda = to teach; umofazi = the woman; emuvoka = the pear, egimbedzi = the month umogabo = man; ukosana = to drink ; ukosama = to find; eginyama = the meat; the animal esingombe = the cow; esinkoko = the chicken; ukodzira = to wait; esidaubu = the bear ukososoli = to understand; esinahashu = the snake; esisaru= the ape; -dzuri = good umowana = the child; umokama = the king; ukoladi = to ask; ukokimbia = to run; egiti = the chair; egiluti = the stick; the branch; ukoluma = to bite; ukosema = to speak ukodyá = to eat; ukolala = to sleep; ukofale = to look; egieneche = the land; esimbudzi = the goat; esinguruve = the pig ; egimeli = the boat; ukoadza= to begin esimpaka = the cat; umokwetu = the friend; ukobadziri = to break; egilamba= the clothing omangawa = the rain; ukojika = to close; ukowekwe = to speak; ukodzua = to know ochiFangwa = the Fangwa Language ; ukotaya = to help; ukokabe = to advise; egidzai = the egg egikeni = the glas; ukobinda = to write; ukolomu = to enter; ukogula = to buy; ukofotokodza = to explain; egibisi = the office; ukobade = to divide; ukozunda = to hate umotsikana = the girl; omadziwa = the milk ; esindzovu = the elephant; egiumba= the room ukofahamu = to understand; esitwiga = the giraffe; egikombe = the cup; egidzina = the name umoru = the chief; egiature = the flower ; ukokute = to obey; ukofanya = to do; egikaramu = the pen; egiadenle = the street; egitanda = the bed; ukojá = to come umokulima = the farmer; ukolipa = to pay; ukopyoma = to read; egintu = the thing esiawindzi = the sheep; esiura = the frog; egintoka = the car, umorume = the man ukobyada= to bear children (to be pregnant); egidzuwo = the sun; emuintore = the eggplant ubomotlovo = the pride; egicho = the eye; umofazi umorebyada = the pregnant woman; egiloba = the word; ukobere = to carry; egimbazi = moon; egidzuwa = the sun; egiupa = the bottle Personal Pronouns Possesive pronouns The possessive pronoun is formed by attaching the particle ye at the front of the pronoun, e.g. yende ''= my. The possessive pronoun comes after the noun. So ''yeu = your (sing); yea = ''his/her/it's; ''yetu = '' our; ''yebu = ''your (plur); ''yeba = ''their Grammar Fangwa is basically a SVO (Subject Verb Object) Language. The verbs have five tense markers: Examples u'molendzi umomepyoma egitabo''' the boy has read the book Noun Classes: OchiFangwa has a noun class system like a lot of Bantu languages, the classifier is a prefix that attaches to the noun. This classifying particle is also attached to the verb, adjectives, numerals that are governed by the noun. The particle has a long and a short form; the long form denotes definiteness: umo-wana = the child; the short form signals undefiniteness; mo-wana: a child. The main noun classes are: umo/oba = (sing/plur) humans; egi-ebi = things; esi-bizi: animals; oma- : (singular) :only certain fluids e.g. omandzi (from oma-mandzi)= water; oma-ngawa = rain and oma-dziwa = milk; emu/emi = fruits/vegetables/plants; uko- = denotes verbs; ubo- : denotes abstact concepts. There are some classes that are almost obsolete now: epi/eti = diminutive (humans): etinto-epinto = small man - small men and the augmentative (humans) : ago/adzo = agonto - adzonto = giant- giants. These last two classes are being slowly incorporated into the umo/oba class: umotinto-obatinto = small man- small men. And umogonto- obagonto = giant- giants. The younger people only use the newer forms, elderly people can use both and in poetry the old forms are used. It looks like the old form will only be preserved in poetry and old texts. Adjectives: All adjectives follow their nouns: umowana umodzuri = the good child; mowana modzuri = a good child. The adjectives get the same prefixes as the corresponding nouns that they modify. Questions: To ask a quetion you can put the particle ni in front of a sentence, for example n''denasema ochi-Fangwa = I speak the Fangwa language. 'Ni' ndenasema Ochi-Fangwa? Do I speak the Fangwa language? To emphasize what the question is you can place 'ni 'after de part of the sentence that you want to ask about, e.g.: '''nde''ni''nasema Ochi-Fangwa? '''Do ''I '' speak the Fangwa language? '''ndenasémani Ochi-Fangwa? '''Do I ''speak ''the Fangwa language? (not hear or write?) '''ndenasema Ochi-Fángwani? '''Do I speak the Fangwa language? (not English or Swahili or Zulu?) Negation The negation of an action can be expressed in two ways: #First you can add the prefix ''ka-'' to the verb. #The second way is to put 'te' after the verb. (strong negation) #If you use both you get a very strong negation. E.g. Numerals Here are the numerals of Fangwa from 1 to 10, Fangwa uses a base 10.. These numerals take on the prefixes of the nouns they quantify. The cardinal numerals also have a short form, eg: -bili kumi = 20; -bili keme= 200; ne kalo= 4000; -kenda fuku = 9.000.000 The numerals always follow the noun that is counted with the corresponding prefix: abantu (a)babili= the two persons; bizinja bizisambo = the seven dogs; bitabo binane= eight books, bitabo bitoba = 6 books. For numbers higher than 10 only the first part will take the prefix: miti mikumi na ne= 14 trees Ordinal numerals Ordinal numrals are formed by putting the particle 'ye' in front of the number and after the noun it refers to, for example: "umogabo ye (u)momodzi" = the first man; "umotsikana ye (u)mobili" = the second girl; "esinkoko ye (e)sikenda" = the ninth chicken; As for ordinal numbers higher then 10 the same rule applies as for cardinal numbers: only the first part gets the same prefix as the noun that refers to, for example: '''esimpaka ye (e)sikumi na sambo = ''the 19th cat''' Months of the year Gwadze = January Raume = February Nyobi = March Foraiso = April Hambali = May Beali = June Jovare= July Shobu= August Dwaro= September Donsau= October Vabwa= November Mbanze = December Colours The names of the coulours are: gedzane = green mwodzano = yellow nyokaudzo = red nyosi = black roendzi = orange bwaleyo = blue nyopfe = wit fyadha = silver dzohavo = gold kawha = brown dzovaro = purple moriye = blue- green ruonge = colour Category:Languages Category:Bantu-based conlangs